JP6558933B2 - Communication support system, information processing apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  In the present invention, communication terminals installed at geographically different locations share a captured image captured at each location and a reference image referred to by a user via a network to support communication between users. About the system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a communication support system that provides a virtual environment as if users at geographically different locations face each other through glass.

  A communication support system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The communication support system described in Patent Document 1 includes a communication terminal that communicates with a communication terminal at another base, and a camera that captures an operator in front of the translucent screen from the back of the translucent screen. The communication terminal transmits the captured image captured by the camera to the communication terminal at the other base and receives the captured image from the communication terminal at the other base. The communication terminal performs a mirroring process on the received captured image and projects it on a translucent screen via a projector.

  The communication terminal at each site shares the reference image referred to by the operator at each site, and the operator at each site can communicate by superimposing the captured image and the reference image received from other sites. it can. In addition, a detection device is disposed in the vicinity of the translucent screen, and when the operator performs a touch operation or the like on the translucent screen, the communication terminal generates a trajectory image based on the detected position information. The communication terminal at each site can further share the trajectory image so that operators at each site can communicate with each other while referring to the writing of characters on the reference image and instructions to a specific location on the reference image. it can.

  In such a communication support system, it is necessary to ensure the operation of the operator included in the captured image and the visibility of the content included in the reference image. This is because if the visibility of the operation and the visibility of the content are not compatible, there is a possibility that operators at each base cannot communicate accurately.

  FIG. 1A is a display example in which the visibility of the operation is impaired in the communication support system in the prior art. In the display example of FIG. 1A, the operator OP performs an operation of instructing the content included in the reference image REF. At this time, the finger or hand of the operator OP is hidden by the reference image REF, and it is impossible to visually recognize which content the operator OP indicates.

  FIG. 1B is a display example in which the visibility of content is impaired in the communication support system in the prior art. In the display example of FIG. 1B, the operator OP performs an operation of instructing the content included in the reference image REF. At this time, if the reference image is made semi-transparent in order to ensure the visibility of the operation, the visibility of the content is impaired due to the background, the clothes color of the operator OP, and the like. In the example of FIG. 1B, a line graph is shown as the content of the reference image REF. Since the reference image REF is translucent, the window W which is a part of the background is transparently displayed. As a result, the window W, which is a part of the background, and the line graph are displayed in an overlapping manner, and the visibility of the line graph is impaired.

Spanish invention patent No. 2399263

As described above, in the communication support system in the prior art, the visibility of content or the visibility of the operation of the operator is impaired, and it is difficult for operators at each base to communicate accurately.

The communication support system according to the present invention is a communication support system, and includes a receiving unit that receives a captured image captured at another site via a network, and a display unit that displays the captured image received by the receiving unit. And, when the display means displays a reference image superimposed on an upper layer of the captured image, the trimming means for trimming an image of a region where the reference image is arranged from the captured image, and the trimming means A specifying unit that specifies a person part region corresponding to a person from the trimmed trimmed image, and a process of making the region different from the person part region specified by the specifying unit out of the trimmed image completely transparent And the display means superimposes the reference image on an upper layer of the captured image. Further characterized in that to display the output image obtained by superimposing the trimming image processed by said processing means to the upper layer of the reference image.

  According to the present invention, in the communication support system, the visibility of the operation of the operator can be improved without impairing the visibility of the content, and the operators at each base can communicate accurately. .

It is a figure which shows the example of a display in which visibility is impaired in the communication assistance system of a prior art. It is a figure showing the example of whole composition of the communication support system in an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the communication terminal in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the peripheral device in embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the software function structure of the communication terminal in embodiment. In an embodiment, it is a figure showing an example of various kinds of images which a communication terminal controls. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the human body site | part visualization process in embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the human body site | part visualization process in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the layer structural example of the output image in embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the human body part visualization process in Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a layer configuration of an output image in Embodiment 2. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in these embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the communication support system 1 in the present embodiment. The communication support system 1 includes a communication terminal and peripheral devices installed at each base, and the communication terminals at each base are connected to each other via a network so that they can communicate with each other. For example, the communication terminal 100 installed at the site A is mutually connected via a translucent screen 111, which is a peripheral device, a camera 112, a projector 113, a microphone speaker 114, and an interface (hereinafter referred to as “I / F”). To be communicable.

  In the base B, the communication terminal 200 and peripheral devices are configured in the same manner. In the present specification, the communication terminal 200 and the peripheral devices are assumed to have the same configuration as that of the base A unless otherwise specified. In addition, although this embodiment demonstrates the aspect in which the communication terminal 100 and a peripheral device are connected via I / F, embodiment is not restricted to this. The communication terminal 100 may include a peripheral device. In this case, the communication terminal 100 can be realized as integrated hardware such as a tablet. Such a communication terminal 100 can be said to be an information processing apparatus constituting the communication support system 1.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the communication terminal 100 in the present embodiment. The communication terminal 100 in FIG. 3 includes a CPU 101, a RAM 102, a ROM 103, an HDD (hard disk drive) 104, an external connection I / F 105, and a network I / F 106. Furthermore, each component is connected to be communicable via a bus 107.

  The CPU 101 includes an arithmetic circuit and controls the communication terminal 100 as a whole. The CPU 101 reads the program code stored in the ROM 103 into the RAM 102 and executes various processes. The ROM 103 has a function as a storage area and stores various programs. The HDD 104 has a function as an auxiliary storage area and stores various data.

  The external connection I / F 105 is for connecting various devices to the communication terminal 100. In the present embodiment, the communication terminal 100 can be connected to a peripheral device via the external connection I / F 105. The network I / F 106 controls data input / output between the network NW and the communication terminal 100 based on the control of the CPU 101. Note that the connection between the network I / F 106 and the network NW may be either a wired connection or a wireless connection.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the peripheral device in the present embodiment. As described above, the peripheral devices in the present embodiment include the translucent screen 111, the camera 112, and the projector 113. Further, in the peripheral device according to the present embodiment, a digitizer 115 is disposed in the vicinity of the translucent screen 111. In the present embodiment, a mode in which the operator OP1 stands in front of the translucent screen 111 and performs various operations on the communication support system 1 as a person in front of the translucent screen 111 will be described.

  The camera 112 is installed behind the translucent screen 111 as viewed from the operator OP1. The camera 112 transmits a captured image obtained by capturing the operator OP1 standing in front of the translucent screen 111 to the communication terminal 100. In the present embodiment, the camera 112 includes a plurality of cameras, and the plurality of cameras 112 arranged to perform stereo viewing acquire a distance image including a distance value from the camera 112 to the operator OP1. The camera 112 transmits the captured distance image to the communication terminal 100 in the same manner as the captured image. The communication terminal 100 acquires a captured image and a distance image from the camera 112. In the modification, a distance sensor may be provided in the peripheral device, and the coordinate system between the distance information acquired from the distance sensor and the captured image captured by the camera 112 may be associated by geometric transformation.

  An intersection point O indicates a point where a normal line from the camera 112 to the semitransparent screen 111 intersects the semitransparent screen 111. The camera 112 is arranged so as to be able to image a translucent screen 111, an operator OP1, and a human body part such as a fingertip where the operator OP1 touches the translucent screen 111.

  The projector 113 receives the output image from the communication terminal 100 and projects it on the translucent screen 111. It can be said that such a projector 113 is a display device that displays an image output from the communication terminal 100. Further, the device for displaying the output image from the communication terminal 100 may be, for example, a touch screen display.

  The digitizer 115 is disposed in the vicinity of the translucent screen 111 and has an infrared light transmitter and receiver. For example, when the operator OP1 touches the translucent screen 111 with a finger, the digitizer 115 is touched based on the time until the infrared light projected from the transmitter is reflected by the finger and reaches the receiver again. The position information of the position is detected. In the present embodiment, the position information is detected as coordinate information indicating a relative position from the origin in the coordinate system of the translucent screen 111. The digitizer 115 transmits the detected coordinate information to the communication terminal 100.

  Next, the state transition from the activation of the communication terminal 100 until the communication terminals at each base can communicate with each other will be described. Upon receiving a power-on instruction from the operator OP1, the communication terminal 100 reads a program stored in advance in the HDD 104 into the RAM 102 and executes it. The communication terminal 100 reads connection destination candidates of communication partners stored in advance in the HDD 104, creates a connection destination candidate screen, and transmits it to the projector 113. The projector 113 projects the received connection destination candidate screen on the translucent screen 111. The operator OP1 can designate the connection destination of the communication partner by looking at the connection destination candidate screen projected on the semi-transparent screen 111 and performing a touch operation on the semi-transparent screen 111. In this embodiment, the connection destination is a character string or icon that can identify a communication terminal that is a connection destination candidate, and corresponds to a network identifier such as an IP address associated with the communication terminal.

  The digitizer 115 detects that the operator OP1 has touched the translucent screen 111, and transmits the detected coordinate information to the communication terminal 100. Based on the received coordinate information, the communication terminal 100 determines the connection destination designated by the operator OP1 from the connection destination candidate screen. The communication terminal 100 refers to the determined connection destination IP address and connects to the communication terminal 200 via the network I / F 106. As described above, the site A and the site B can communicate with each other, and communication can be performed in a virtual environment as if the operator OP1 is facing the operator OP2 of the site B through the glass.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a software function configuration example of the communication support system 1 in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing examples of various images controlled by the communication terminal 100 in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the transition of processing of the communication support system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment includes an imaging unit 121, a detection unit 122, a transmission image generation unit 123, a transmission unit 124, a reception unit 125, an output image generation unit 126, An output unit 127 and a display unit 128 are provided.

  The imaging unit 121 is realized by a camera 112 that can acquire a captured image and a distance image. The detection unit 122 is realized by a digitizer 115 that is disposed in the vicinity of the translucent screen 111 and can detect coordinate information in accordance with an operation on the translucent screen 111. Furthermore, the transmission image generation unit 123 performs a mirroring process on the captured image and the distance image captured by the imaging unit 121, and acquires the captured image and the distance image that are mirrored. The reason why the transmission image generation unit 123 performs the mirroring process is as follows. The operator OP2 at the site B sees a mirrored image, but when the operator OP1 at the site A performs an operation such as “ABC” on the transparent screen 111, the projector 213 This is to prevent the reversed characters from being displayed.

  Next, the transmission image generation unit 123 derives contour information that divides the person region in which the operator OP1 is imaged and other regions from the acquired distance image. Specifically, the transmission image generation unit 123 derives a binary image binarized using a predetermined threshold with respect to the mirrored distance image. The transmission image generation unit 123 derives contour information that divides a person area and other areas from an area that is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold in the binary image. Here, for example, when the operator OP1 is holding an object such as a pointing stick and the value of the distance from the camera 112 to the object is within a predetermined threshold, the transmission image generating unit 123 The contour information is derived so that the area where the stick is imaged is also included in the person area.

  The transmission unit 124 is realized by the network I / F 106, and transmits a mirrored captured image, contour information, coordinate information, and the like to another communication terminal that is communicably connected via the network NW.

  The receiving unit 125 is realized by the network I / F 106, and receives a mirrored captured image, contour information, coordinate information, and the like from another communication terminal that is communicably connected via the network NW.

  FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example of the mirrored captured image 620 received from the communication terminal 200 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6B, the captured image 620 includes an operator OP2 at the site B and a window W that is a part of the background of the site B. In addition, although this embodiment demonstrates the aspect in which the communication terminal 100 receives the mirrored captured image 620, embodiment is not restricted to this. In another embodiment, the communication terminal 100 may be configured to receive a captured image that is not mirrored and a distance image that is not mirrored, and to perform a mirroring process on each received image.

  The operator OP1 can select a reference image from a reference image selection screen (not shown) of a graphical user interface (hereinafter referred to as “GUI”) displayed on the translucent screen 111. When receiving a touch operation from the operator OP1, the output image generation unit 126 selects a reference image corresponding to the coordinate information detected by the detection unit 122. The output image generation unit 126 reads the selected reference image from the HDD 104 and determines a reference image display position for displaying the reference image. The reference image display position is specified by an offset value from the origin in the coordinate system of the desktop image 610. In order to display the reference image on the display unit at the base B, the transmission unit 124 transmits the same reference image and the reference image display position generated by the output image generation unit 126 to the communication terminal 200.

  FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating an example of the reference image 630 read from the HDD 104 by the output image generation unit 126 in the present embodiment. In this example, the reference image 630 including a plurality of line graphs that are images of electronic materials is illustrated, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, various images such as a document image composed of text and a photographic image composed of a photograph can be used as the reference image 630.

  Next, based on the coordinate information detected by the detection unit 122 and the coordinate information received from the communication terminal 200, the output image generation unit 126 generates a trajectory image that represents the content of the operation by the operators OP1 and OP2. To do.

  FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating an example of the trajectory image 640 generated by the output image generation unit 126 in the present embodiment. In this example, the trajectory image 640 includes an “arrow” trajectory drawn on the translucent screen 211 in order for the operator OP2 to indicate a specific part of the line graph in the reference image. In the present embodiment, the output image generation unit 126 generates the trajectory image 640 so that the trajectory location is opaque and the area other than the trajectory location is transparent.

  Next, the output image generation unit 126 generates an output image in which the desktop image 610, the captured image 620, the reference image 620, and the trajectory image 640 are superimposed. FIG. 6E is a diagram illustrating an example of the output image 650 generated by the output image generation unit 126 in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the desktop image 610, the captured image 620, the reference image 630, and the trajectory image 640 can be manipulated as layer images. Further, the desktop image 610, the captured image 620, and the trajectory image 640 are configured to have the same number of vertical and horizontal pixels. In the present embodiment, the output image generation unit 126 arranges the reference image 630 in the upper layer of the captured image 620 and arranges the trajectory image 640 in the upper layer of the reference image 630.

  Here, when the reference image 630 is arranged in the upper layer of the captured image 620, there may be a region that overlaps the person region of the operator OP2 in the display region of the reference image 630. For example, when the operator OP2 indicates a specific content included in the reference image with a human body part such as a finger or a hand, the reference image 630 is arranged in an upper layer of the captured image 620, and thus the human body such as a finger or a hand. The part region is hidden behind the reference image 630. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the output image generation unit 126 performs a visualization process on the human body part region 651 that overlaps the person region in the display region of the reference image 630. Specifically, first, the output image generation unit 126 specifies a person region in which the operator OP2 is captured in the captured image based on the contour information. Next, the output image generation unit 126 performs a visualization process on the human body region including the human region within the display region of the reference image 630. At this time, for the background window W in the display area of the reference image 630, since it is not necessary to ensure visibility, an invisibility process such as a total transparency process is performed outside the human body region.

  As a result of the visualization processing, as shown in FIG. 6E, the human body region 651 in the display area of the reference image 630 is output in a translucent manner, and the output image 650 is hidden so that the window W is hidden behind the reference image 630. Is generated.

  The display unit 128 is realized by the projector 113. The projector 113 acquires the output image 650 via the output unit 127 and projects the acquired output image 650 on the translucent screen 111.

  As shown in FIG. 6E, the output image 650 has improved visibility of the operation of the operator OP2 without impairing the visibility of the content of the reference image 630. Therefore, the operator OP1 at the site A can accurately communicate with the operator OP2 at the site B with reference to the operation of the operator OP2 and the content of the reference image 630.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of the human body part visualization process in the present embodiment. 7 is executed by the CPU 101 after the program code stored in the HDD 104 is expanded in the RAM 102.

  In S10, the output image generation unit 126 determines whether or not to update the captured image. The output image generation unit 126 determines to update the captured image when the captured image and the contour information are received from the communication terminal 200 (S10: Yes), stores the received captured image and the contour information in the RAM 102, and S100. Migrate to On the other hand, when the captured image and the contour information are not received from the communication terminal 200, the output image generation unit 126 determines not to update the captured image (S10: No), and proceeds to S20.

  In S20, the output image generation unit 126 determines whether to update the reference image. The output image generation unit 126 is detected when a touch operation on various GUIs displayed on the transparent screen 111 is detected and an instruction for reading, displaying, hiding, moving, enlarging / reducing, turning pages, and the like is received. It is determined that the image is updated. It is also determined that the reference image is updated when the reference image or the reference image display position is received from the communication terminal 200. When it is determined that the reference image is to be updated (S20: Yes), the output image generation unit 126 updates the reference image and the reference image display position and stores them in the RAM 102. The transmission unit 124 transmits the updated reference image and reference image display position to the communication terminal 200. After the transmission, the process proceeds to S100. When it is determined that the reference image is not updated (S20: No), the process of the flowchart in FIG.

  In S100, the output image generation unit 126 reads the captured image, the contour information, the reference image, and the reference image display position from the RAM 102, and performs a human body part visualization process. The detailed processing content of S100 will be described later.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the contents of the human body part visualization process (S100) of the output image generation unit 126 in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the processing content of the human body part visualization process (S100) will be described with reference to FIG. 8 is executed by the CPU 101 after the program code stored in the HDD 104 is expanded in the RAM 102.

  In S <b> 101, the output image generation unit 126 reads the captured image 620 and contour information received from the communication terminal 200 from the RAM 102.

  In S <b> 102, the output image generation unit 126 specifies the person area in which the operator OP <b> 2 is captured in the captured image 620 using the contour information.

  In S103, the output image generation unit 126 acquires a trimmed image 900 obtained by trimming the captured image 620 in the display area of the reference image 630.

  In S <b> 104, the output image generation unit 126 performs a transparency process with a predetermined transparency on the human body region 901 in the trimmed image 900. As described above, the human body part region 901 refers to a region that overlaps with the human region of the operator OP2 in the display region of the reference image 630. The output image generation unit 126 performs a transparency process on the human body region 901 that is the processing target.

  In step S <b> 105, the output image generation unit 126 performs full transparency processing on the outside 902 of the human body region in the trimmed image 900.

  In S <b> 106, the output image generation unit 126 arranges the trimming image 900 including the human body region 901 that has been subjected to the transparency processing, on the upper layer of the reference image 630.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a layer configuration example of the output image 650 in the present embodiment. The desktop image 610 is configured by the same number of pixels as the captured image 620 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is arranged in the lowest layer of the output image 650. A captured image 620 is arranged on the upper layer of the desktop image 610.

  The reference image 630 is arranged in an upper layer of the captured image 620. In the present embodiment, the reference image 630 is configured with a smaller number of pixels than the captured image 620 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is arranged at an arbitrary position in the display area of the captured image 620.

  The trimmed image 900 includes a human body part region 901 that has been subjected to transparency processing and a human body part region outside 902 that has been subjected to total transparency processing, and is configured with the same number of pixels as the vertical and horizontal directions of the reference image 630. The trimmed image 900 in which the human body region 901 has been subjected to transparency processing is arranged so as to overlap the upper layer of the reference image 630. The trajectory image 640 is configured with the same number of pixels as the desktop image 610 and the captured image 620 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is arranged at the highest level in the layer configuration of the output image 650.

  As described above, the output image generation unit 126 generates the output image 650 by arranging the layer images as shown in FIG. The output image generation unit 126 can display the generated output image 650 on the display unit 128 via the output unit 127. With this configuration, the communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment can improve the visibility of the operation of the operator OP2 without impairing the visibility of the content of the reference image 630, and the operators at each base can accurately communicate with each other. Can communicate.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the contents of the human body part visualization process (S100) of the output image generation unit 126 in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the processing content of the human body part visualization process (S100) will be described with reference to FIG. 10 is executed by the CPU 101 after the program code stored in the HDD 104 is expanded in the RAM 102.

  In S <b> 101, the output image generation unit 126 reads the captured image 620 and contour information received from the communication terminal 200 from the RAM 102.

  In step S <b> 1002, the output image generation unit 126 reads the reference image 1110 from the RAM 102. Next, the output image generation unit 126 performs a transparency process with a predetermined transparency on a region corresponding to the human body region 1101 of the operator OP2 in the reference image 1100. As described above, the human body part region 1101 is a region that overlaps the person region of the operator OP2 in the display region of the reference image 1100. In the present embodiment, the transparency process is not performed on the human body region 1101, but the region corresponding to the human body region 1101 in the reference image 1100 is set as a processing target, and the transparency process is performed on the region.

  In step S <b> 1003, the output image generation unit 126 performs an opacity process on a region corresponding to the outside human body region 1102 of the operator OP <b> 2 in the reference image 1100. Similarly, in S1003, the opacity process is not performed on the human body part region outside 1102, but an area corresponding to the human body part region outside 1102 in the reference image 1100 is specified, and the opacity process is performed on the region. .

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a layer configuration example of the output image 650 in the present embodiment. The desktop image 610 is configured by the same number of pixels as the captured image 620 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is arranged in the lowest layer of the output image 650. A captured image 620 is arranged on the upper layer of the desktop image 610.

  The reference image 1100 is arranged in an upper layer of the captured image 620. In the present embodiment, the reference image 1100 is configured with a smaller number of pixels than the captured image 620 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is arranged at an arbitrary position in the display area of the captured image 620. The trajectory image 640 is configured with the same number of pixels as the desktop image 610 and the captured image 620 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is arranged at the highest level in the layer configuration of the output image 650.

  As described above, the output image generation unit 126 generates the output image 650 by arranging the layer images as shown in FIG. As described above, in this embodiment, the output image 650 including the human body region 1101 subjected to the visualization process can be generated without generating the trimmed image 900 in the first embodiment. With this configuration, the communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment can improve the visibility of the operation of the operator OP2 without impairing the visibility of the content of the reference image 630, and the operators at each base can accurately communicate with each other. Can communicate.

[Other Examples]
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims (18)

A communication support system,
Receiving means for receiving a captured image captured at another site via a network;
Display means for displaying the captured image received by the receiving means;
Trimming means for trimming an image of a region in which the reference image is arranged from the captured image when the display unit displays a reference image superimposed on an upper layer of the captured image;
A specifying unit for specifying a person part region corresponding to a person from the trimmed image trimmed by the trimming unit;
Processing means for making the region different from the person part region specified by the specifying means out of the trimmed image,
The display means superimposes the reference image on an upper layer of the captured image, and further displays an output image in which the trimmed image processed by the processing means is superimposed on an upper layer of the reference image. Communication support system. The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit translucently converts the person part region specified by the specifying unit in the trimmed image. The specifying unit specifies a person region corresponding to a person from the captured image, and specifies a region overlapping with a region where the reference image is arranged among the person regions specified from the captured image as the person part region. The communication support system according to claim 1 or 2. The communication support system according to claim 3, wherein the specifying unit specifies a region corresponding to an object held by a person in the captured image as a person region corresponding to the person. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit also specifies a region corresponding to an object held by the person as the person part region from among the trimmed images trimmed by the trimming unit. The communication support system according to claim 1. The captured image is a distance image including a distance value from a camera that captures the subject to the subject,
The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit specifies the person part region based on a distance value of the distance image. Further comprising image generation means for generating a trajectory image representing the content of the operation by the person based on the position information received by the receiving means and detected at another site;
The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the output image obtained by superimposing the trajectory image on an upper layer of the trimming image. The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is a projector that projects an image on a screen. The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the reference image is any one of an electronic material, a document image, and a photographic image. A communication support system,
Receiving means for receiving a captured image captured at another site via a network;
Display means for displaying the captured image received by the receiving means;
A specifying means for specifying a person area corresponding to a person from the reference image when the display means displays a reference image superimposed on an upper layer of the captured image;
Processing means for making the person area specified by the specifying means translucent out of the reference image,
The communication support system, wherein the display unit displays an output image in which the reference image is superimposed on an upper layer of the captured image. An information processing apparatus constituting a communication support system,
Receiving means for receiving a captured image captured at another site via a network;
Trimming means for trimming an image of a region in which a reference image is arranged from the captured image received by the receiving means;
A specifying unit for specifying a person part region corresponding to a person from the trimmed image trimmed by the trimming unit;
Processing means for making the area different from the person part area specified by the specifying means out of the trimmed image,
Image generating means for generating an output image for output, wherein the reference image is superimposed on an upper layer of the captured image, and further, the trimmed image processed by the processing means is superimposed on an upper layer of the reference image; An information processing apparatus comprising: The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit translucently converts the person part region specified by the specifying unit in the trimmed image. The specifying means specifies a person region corresponding to a person from the captured image, and specifies a region overlapping the reference image among the person regions specified from the captured image as the person part region. Item 13. The information processing apparatus according to Item 11 or 12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the specifying unit specifies an area corresponding to an object held by a person in the captured image as a person area corresponding to the person. 15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the specifying unit specifies a region corresponding to an object held by the person as the person part region from the trimmed image trimmed by the trimming unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The captured image is a distance image including a distance value from a camera that captures the subject to the subject,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the specifying unit specifies the person part region based on a distance value of the distance image. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the reference image is one of an electronic material, a document image, and a photographic image. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus constituting a communication support system,
A receiving step of receiving a captured image captured at another site via a network;
A display step for displaying the captured image received by the receiving step;
A trimming step for trimming an image of a region in which the reference image is arranged from the captured image, when a reference image is superimposed and displayed on an upper layer of the captured image by the display step;
A specifying step for specifying a person area corresponding to a person from the trimmed image trimmed by the trimming step;
A process step of making the region different from the person region specified by the specifying step out of the trimmed image fully transparent,
In the display step, the reference image is superimposed on an upper layer of the captured image, and an output image in which the trimmed image processed in the processing step is superimposed on an upper layer of the reference image is displayed.
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus.